CVE-2023-51978 in Art Gallery Management System
Summary
by MITRE • 01/12/2024
In PHPGurukul Art Gallery Management System v1.1, "Update Artist Image" functionality of "imageid" parameter is vulnerable to SQL Injection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/02/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-51978 affects the PHPGurukul Art Gallery Management System version 1.1 where the "Update Artist Image" functionality contains a critical SQL injection flaw. This vulnerability resides within the imageid parameter handling mechanism, which fails to properly sanitize or validate user input before incorporating it into database queries. The absence of proper input validation creates an exploitable condition where malicious actors can manipulate the parameter to inject arbitrary SQL code, potentially gaining unauthorized access to the underlying database system.
This SQL injection vulnerability operates under CWE-89 which categorizes improper neutralization of special elements used in SQL commands as a significant weakness in application security. The flaw allows attackers to execute unauthorized database operations through carefully crafted payloads that manipulate the imageid parameter during artist image updates. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data extraction as it can enable complete database compromise, including privilege escalation, data modification, and potential lateral movement within the application's infrastructure. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability exists in a management system that likely handles sensitive artistic content and user data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides attackers with potential access to all data stored within the application's database. An attacker could extract confidential information such as artist details, gallery metadata, user credentials, and potentially sensitive personal information. The vulnerability also enables modification of existing records, deletion of critical data, and in some cases, the execution of administrative commands on the database server. This represents a direct threat to data integrity and confidentiality, particularly in an art gallery management system where the data may include proprietary artistic works and personal information of artists and visitors. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including direct parameter manipulation, web application firewalls bypass techniques, and automated scanning tools that specifically target SQL injection flaws.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of parameterized queries or prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks, thorough input validation and sanitization of all user-supplied data, and regular security code reviews to identify similar issues. The system should implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Organizations should also deploy web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious activities targeting SQL injection vulnerabilities. Additionally, regular security updates and patches should be applied to the PHPGurukul system, and database access should be restricted to only necessary applications and users. The remediation process must include comprehensive testing to ensure that the fix does not introduce new vulnerabilities while maintaining the application's intended functionality, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques for command and control operations and credential access that could result from such a vulnerability.